SRQ DAILY Jul 23, 2019
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"I know it's not just the voters in my House district that deserve better representation."
State Rep. Margaret Good, D-Sarasota, set up one of Florida’s top political battles of 2020 and set off some political dominoes on Monday.
Good announced she will challenge U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, in 2020, and spent Monday on a fundraising push. It’s a family rematch of sorts; Good won her state House seat in 2018 defeating James Buchanan, Vern’s son, in a special election.
“I know it’s not just the voters in my House district that deserve better representation,” Good said.
Buchanan, for his part, welcomed Good to the race. “Next year’s election is going to be pivotal to determine the direction of the country,” he said. “I look forward to being part of that discussion… A thoughtful discussion of the issues is always important for democracy.”
Buchanan last year won re-election to a seventh term after an expensive contest with Democrat David Shapiro. The Republican incumbent ultimately prevailed by 10 percent. But he now faces a Democrat who won re-election to her district, albeit by a smaller margin, in the same election.
Of course, Good’s entry into the Congressional race also means her departure from the already high-profile House race in state House District 72. There, she already faced two well-funded Republicans, Sarasota County Charter Review Board member Donna Barcomb and Naval Reserve Officer Fiona McFarland. Both had more than $40,000 in contributions raised already as of June’s end.
“It will be interesting to see who the Democrats recruit, but at the current time it’s a contest in the Republican primary,” Barcomb said.
Max Goodman, a spokesman for McFarland, who is on active deployment, said the focus of that campaign shifts little with Good’s exit. “Fiona’s mission remains the same,” he said. “She will continue to work every single day to earn the trust, respect and support of her community.”
Hours after Good announced her run for Congress, Sarasota attorney Drake Buckman announced he would file as a Democrat for the seat. His son, Trey, worked as a volunteer on Good’s state campaign.
Buckman, who will run on an environmental preservation platform, said he’s confident he can keep the seat. That’s despite the fact registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by about 11,000.
“This is a district with a lot of common sense voters who are not driven by ideology,” Buckman said.
On July 19, at the Annual State Conference, R. Christopher Sharek was sworn in as the President for the Florida Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers. The Florida Section covers the entire state of Florida, with more than 7,000 members, and 13 branches. Sharek has served the local SunCoast Branch as secretary, webmaster, vice-president and president, and at the Section level as vice president and president-elect. Sharek is also a Florida native and advocate for the engineering profession.
The Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida (AAASWFL) is seeking volunteers to lead health and wellness workshops in Sarasota, Charlotte and DeSoto counties. Volunteers have the opportunity to lead fitness workshops that are focused on the unique needs of older adults.
AAASWFL’s workshops are designed to assist older adults with preventative measures to avoid falls, manage chronic conditions and handle caregiver stress. Currently, AAASWFL needs volunteers to lead the Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program and A Matter of Balance. AAASWFL provides free training for both programs with a commitment to lead the workshops on the Agency’s behalf.
Workshops are typically held on weekday mornings and afternoons, so volunteers with flexible schedules are appreciated. In addition to free training, volunteers also receive mileage reimbursement for agency-related travel.
Attorney Leslie Wulfsohn Loftus, of the Sarasota-based law firm Loftus Law, has been selected for the 2019 Florida Trend magazine’s Legal Elite list. To compile the list, Florida Trend invited all actively practicing Florida lawyers to select the attorneys they hold in highest regard. Only 1,126 lawyers in Florida were named to the 2019 list, representing fewer than 1.3 percent of the active Florida Bar members who practice in Florida. Loftus has also been selected to the 2019 Super Lawyers list.
Loftus is currently serving a three-year term on the Twelfth Circuit Grievance Committee “C,” having been recently appointed by The Florida Bar. She concentrates her practice on family and marital law in the Sarasota/Bradenton area.
RE/MAX Alliance Group teams have been ranked among America’s Best Real Estate Professionals. Published by REAL Trends and based on 2018 home sales, the rankings represent the top one-half of 1 percent of the 1.4 million licensed real estate professionals in the United States.
In the North Port/Sarasota/Bradenton Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), among teams by closed transaction sides, the Kathy Damewood Team in the Englewood office ranked #1, the Stiver Firth International Team in the Englewood office ranked #2, the Brewer Team in the Sarasota office ranked #3, the Sandra Newell Team in the Englewood office ranked #6, the Finney Team in the University Park office ranked #13, and Team Richard Capps in the Bradenton office ranked #14.
Among teams by closed sales volume, the Brewer Team in the Sarasota office ranked #6, the Stiver Firth International Team in the Englewood office ranked #11, the Travis Group in the Bradenton office ranked #15, the Glenn Brown Team in the Sarasota office ranked #19, and the Finney Team in the University Park office ranked #20.
Join us for the SB2: Transformation in Philanthropy Luncheon on Thursday, July 25, 2019 at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota from 11:30am to 1pm. The topic of discussion will be creating bold and resonant impact through the nonprofit mission. Registration opens at 11am. Panelists include special guests: David Moore of Moore Strategic Consulting, Sabeen Perwaiz of the Florida Nonprofit Alliance and Lilly Weinberg of the Knight Foundation. Tickets: $55/person. Table Sponsorships Available. Purchase tickets online at SRQSB2.COM.
Hyatt Regency Sarasota, 1000 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota
Back by popular demand, The Swingaroos return to FST with a brand new show. Inspired by the Golden Age of Hollywood, this jazzy music revue pays tribute to such icons as Frank Sinatra, Cab Calloway, and Fred Astaire. Travel back in time this summer to the ‘30s and ‘40s when big bands and swing dancing were all the rage.
Florida Studio Threatre, 1241 N Palm Ave., Sarasota
This exhibition showcases over 140 examples drawn from the internationally-renowned holdings of London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and private collections. This exposition illustrates the variety, technical sophistication and adaptability of Indian textiles from the fifteenth to the twenty-first centuries. Through a range of historical dress, carefully preserved fabrics, and cutting-edge fashion, discover how Indian textiles have been interwoven with religion, politics and global trade for centuries. Or join the Curator of Asian Art Dr. Rhiannon Paget for a tour at the Gallery Walk and Talk, 10:30am–6pm on July 25.
The Ringling, 5401 Bay Shore Road
Join Events staff for an informal discussion of their work, including an explanation of their day-to-day tasks, highlights of their favorite parts of the job, trade secrets of the profession and what they wish museum visitors knew about what goes into planning museum events.
The Ringling, 5401 Bay Shore Road
Enjoy quiet water and open-seated kayaking from Caspersen Beach to Lemon Bay with John Sarkozy. All kayak equipment will be provided and is included in the cost of the trip. Contact John for additional information, exact launch location and required reservations. Get out and explore the area!
For Kes, falling in love for the first time happened online. But the exhilarating fantasy quickly turns into a terrifying reality when the young teen is accused of criminal conduct. Inspired by real cases of ‘gender fraud,’ Scorch is a touching and provocative story of love though the eyes of a gender-curious teen.
Urbanite Theatre, 1487 2nd St., Sarasota.
Enoy the beautiful sunset on a kayak paddle on Little Sarasota Bay. See birds and marine life, and have a great time on the water with a break at Palmer Point Beach. All kayak equipment will be provided and is included in the cost of the trip. Contact John for additional information, exact launch location and required reservations.
Delve into the Ringling Museum of Art with a creative project: creating sensory bottles! Work in the Education Building classrooms and explore the Museum with a special handout to help locate and learn more about the objects and places that inspired the project.
The Ringling, 5401 Bay Shore Road
Take a kayak paddle and enjoy the great outdoors. This trip, led by John Sarkozy, will be in the Nokomis area and pass through the Curry Creek Preserve. Just bring drinking water, sunscreen and your sense of adventure! All kayak equipment will be provided and is included in the cost of the trip. Contact John for additional information, exact launch location and required reservations.
Join the Ringling staff in the Education Building for a Greek Pottery Design art-making program, bridging active creation with artwork in the Museum. Then visit the galleries to find each day’s featured artwork and learn more about it from a docent!
The Ringling, 5401 Bay Shore Road
SRQ DAILY is produced by SRQ | The Magazine. Note: The views and opinions expressed in the Saturday Perspectives Edition and in the Letters department of SRQ DAILY are those of the author(s) and do not imply endorsement by SRQ Media. Senior Editor Jacob Ogles edits the Saturday Perspective Edition, Letters and Guest Contributor columns.In the CocoTele department, SRQ DAILY is providing excerpts from news releases as a public service. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by SRQ DAILY. The views expressed by individuals are their own and their appearance in this section does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. For rates on SRQ DAILY banner advertising and sponsored content opportunities, please contact Ashley Ryan Cannon at 941-365-7702 x211 or via email |
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